Around $900

Wired.com rated Google’s Pixel 2 higher than the iPhone 8 in their list of best smartphones. The reasons? The Pixel 2 has an amazing camera that rivals the best of the best, is as speedy as you’d expect, and gets security and software updates directly from Google. Almost no other Android phone, not even a Galaxy, gets timely updates.

Around $700

If you want the same cutting edge processors and internal components that are in the super high-end Android phones like the Galaxy S9, LG G7, but without the same hefty price tag, the OnePlus 6 is for you!

Around $500

You won’t find many phones that can outperform the LG G6. It’s excellent and as powerful as almost any device that came out in the last couple of years. It’s far cheaper than most 2017 flagship phones, and worth a serious look. It requires no sacrifices (it even has a headphone jack, MicroSD, IP68 waterproofing), but clocks in at half the price of some of the more expensive Android phones.

Around $300

Wired admits that the Moto G6 isn’t a perfect phone, but at this price, it doesn’t have to be. It just has to work well enough and not annoy the hell out of you, and the G6 passes both tests with flying colours. The sluggish camera may frustrate you if you try to snap a pic of a fast-moving subject, but the pictures it can take under normal circumstances are surprisingly solid.

There you have it! My picks for best affordable smartphone that isn’t one of the new iPhones.